Mom Defends Burning 6-Year-Old's Hand on a Hot Stove as Punishment for Bullying

How we discipline our kids has always been a heated topic. But is there anyone who would agree that placing your child's hand on a hot stove is fair punishment? A Florida mother was arrested and charged last week after she allegedly forced her 6-year-old son's hand against a hot stove as a punishment for hitting. Now, the mom is defending her actions, saying her son's punishment was justified and she is not a "bad mom."

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According to WPLG Orlando, Miriam Rebolledo received a call home from her son's teacher last Wednesday revealing that her son had been caught hitting another student. The boy had apparently had other previous behavioral issues, so as a form of punishment, Rebolledo allegedly held the child's hand against a burner on a hot stove, severely injuring him. The mom was arrested and faces charges of aggravated child abuse.

Despite the severe charges, Rebolledo defended herself as she left the Turner Gilford Knight Correctional Center after being released on bail on Thursday night.

"My son is so rebellious that he got to the point to kill an animal," she told WPLG. "What am I supposed to do? Stay home without doing anything for my son? All the news every day, you see young people -- 12, 13, 14 years old -- they end up in schools with guns. And in this country it’s so easy to get guns. You want my son to grow up to be a bully who beats up on kids? And he isn’t just going after boys -- he bullied a girl."

As CBS Miami reports, Rebolledo claims she had tried many other methods of punishment for past incidents, though she didn't detail what those punishments were. And she says worried that if she didn't do something "more extreme," her son's behavior would escalate.

But Miami-Dade Judge Ariana Fajardo did not seem to empathize. "Maybe in Colombia it's okay to take the child and put their burning hand on a stove, but in the United States, it's not," the judge reportedly said in a hearing on Friday.